Sheet metal healds



March 13, 1956 w. MULLER SHEET METAL HEALDS Filed April 15 1953 pm, M

United States Patent M SHEET METAL HEALDS Walter Muller, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to Grob & Co. Aktiengesellschaft, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland Application April 15, 1953, Serial No. 349,045

2 Claims. (Cl. 139-92) The invention relates to shafts of looms, and more particularly to the healds of such shafts.

The usual sheet metal healds as applied to double row arrangements on shafts comprise heald eyes on both ends with which they are attached to the shaft frame. Immediately adjacent these ends there are straight portions extending in the direction of the height or opposite end of the heald, followed by short bent portions extending at obtuse angles out of the said direction, the said bent portions being joined together by a straight middle portion having a warp eye approximately in its center. The bent portions of adjacent healds extend in opposite directions so as to form two parallel rows offset from one another.

When threading-in a warp after a thread breakage into the warp eyes of such healds, it frequently happens that the heald of one row is crossed with and caught upon the adjacent heald of the other row at the level of the said bent portions. This may be done by the operators hand holding the heald, or by a drawing-in hook. Mutual catching of adjacent healds may also be caused by lumps or impurities in the warp material or by pulling a warp thread, which has become twisted or knotted on itself, through the warp eye too quickly. When caught in such a crossed position, such healds produce a reed-marked fabric. The warp threads of other healds, passing between two interlocked healds, are affected. Thread breakages often result. Mutual catching of the healds moreover affects the free play of the healds on their shaft staves, and may damage the latter and the healds themselves.

It has been attempted to overcome these difficulties by inserting a top and bottom wire between the two rows of healds, the said wires stretching lengthwise from one end binder of the shaft frame to the other. However such wires are not liked by the operators in the mills because their fitting and removing when changing harnesses requires additional work, and their mounting reduces the effective height of the healds.

The invention has the object of overcoming the said difliculties without the use of the said wires and to provide a double row shaft, and healds therefor, which do not become interlocked in the circumstances set forth hereinabove.

With this and other objects in view I provide a sheet metal heald comprising two heald eyes at its ends, portions immediately adjacent the said heald eyes bent at an obtuse angle out of the direction of the height of said heald, and a straight central portion having a warp eye between the said two bent portions.

I also provide a shaft comprising in combination: a shaft frame, sheet metal healds each having a heald eye on its upper and lower end attached to the said shaft frame, each of the said healds having a portion bent at an obtuse angle out of the direction of the height of said healds immediately adjacent said heald eyes and a straight central portion having a warp eye between the said two bent portions, the said healds being alternately bent for- 2,737,982 Patented Mar. 13, 1956 2 ward and backward forming two parallel rows of offset healds.

These and other features of my invention will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shaft of a loom, having healds of the usual type, and healds according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a part cross section on a larger scale, along the line AA of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a part cross section on the same scale as Fig. 2, along the line BB of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a part cross section corresponding to Fig. 2 and shows in dotted lines the deflection of a heald of the usual type.

Fig. 5 is a part cross section corresponding to Fig. 4, and shows two interlocked adjacent healds of the usual type.

Referring first to Figure 1, the shaft comprises a frame consisting of the upper and lower shaft rods 1 for example made of light metal, and the end binders 2, for example made of wood. Between the latter, an upper and lower shaft staves or rods 3 run parallel to the shaft rods 1 to which they are attached by the shaft hooks 4, which are shiftably attached to said rods 1.

Sheet metal healds 5 of the usual type, and sheet metal healds 5a according to the invention are loosely mounted on said shaft staves 3 by means of their heald eyes arranged at their upper and lower ends. Adjacent healds are oif-set in opposite directions, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, forming two parallel rows of healds.

As will be seen from Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the usual sheet metal healds have, adjacent the heald eyes 9, straight portions of say 8 millimetres length extending from the inner end of the heald eye 9 to the line 6 (Fig. 2), followed by the bent section 67, the bend being at an obtuse angle away from the direction of the height of the heald. At the line 7 the heald is bent back into the said direction. The straight middle portion 5 of the heald contains the warp eye 8.

As will be seen from Fig. 4, a forward pull on the heald 5 adjacent the eye 8 acts with a long lever arm on the straight end portion of the heald, and causes a deflection of the heald as shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 5 shows how, as a consequence of this deflection, the deformed heald may cross over, and become interlocked with the adjacent heald in the region between the lines 67 of Fig. 2.

The healds 5a according to the invention (Figs. 1 and 3) dispense with the straight portion between the inner end of the heald eye 9 and the line 6, which hitherto was believed to be necessary for the production of healds with offset center portions by a bending operation. As will be seen particularly well in Fig. 3, the bend at line 6 is arranged immediately adjacent the inner end of the heald eye 9. Accordingly the aforesaid lever arm is considerably shortened and any interlocking as shown in Fig. 5 for the usual type of healds is obviated, since the oblique sections 67 of adjacent healds do not cross one another.

While I have described and illustrated what may be considered a typical and particularly useful embodiment of my said invention I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the particular details and dimensions illustrated and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. In particular, S-shaped or otherwise shaped heald eyes may be used instead of those shown in the drawing.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a metal heald of the type for a double row heald arrangement, said heald being made of a single length of steel and comprising a straight central portion containing a warp eye and two end portions each con taining a heald eye, the heald eyes being longitudinal in shape and the innermost part of each of said healdv eyes extending substantially to the innermost part of its end portion, two similar oblique portions connecting the respective ends of the central portion to said heald eye portions, each of said oblique portions extending :at an oblique angle from an end of the central portion to one of the heald eye portions, each of the said obliqueportions connecting with its particular end portion at a point which is substantially at the inner end of the eye of said end portion.

2. In a loom harness, a pair of spaced supporting shafts, a double series of healds supported by said shafts, each of said healds having an eye portion at each end through which said supporting shafts pass, each of said healds having a straight central portion containing a warp eye, said straight central portion being connected References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 772,800 Griffin Oct. 18, 1904 1,545,904 Kaufmann July 14, 1925 1,970,175 Kaufmann Aug. 14, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS 22,996 Germany July 14, 1883 

